In German Patent Application No. DE 101 12 138, a method and a device for monitoring a differential-pressure signal occurring at a diesel particle filter are described. The pressure occurring in front of the diesel particle filter or the pressure differential occurring at the diesel particle filter may be utilized as a measure for the load condition of the diesel particle filter. The diagnosis of the signal is based on the evaluation of a signal change with respect to a change in the exhaust-volume flow or the exhaust-mass flow. A change in the exhaust-volume flow is derived from corresponding changes in the performance characteristics of the internal combustion engine. A change takes place in a load change, for example, and/or when the engine speed is modified.
The present invention is based on the objective of providing a method and a device for ascertaining the load condition of a component arranged in an exhaust-gas region of an internal combustion engine, which take the pressure in front of the component into account.